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The Role of Government in Institutionalizing Democratic Governance
This weekly television program has been underway in San Cristobal
Totonicapán since 2009 and is now fully funded by the local government
itself. Given the constructive impact it has had in its community and
the positive feedback it has generated from citizens, IRI replicated this
initiative in other municipalities in Guatemala as well as in several cities
in Honduras. IRI has also modified the format of these programs for
countries where radio broadcasting has a larger audience. In countries
such as Ecuador and Bolivia, IRI has therefore worked alongside
municipal governments to launch and institutionalize weekly radio
programs such as the
Sabados Vecinales
program mentioned in the
earlier chapter by Nájera.
As a watchdog of the actions of local actors, including government,
print and broadcast media can steer reporting towards holding
government accountable for decisions made or programs conducted in
a community or a nation. Through their everyday reporting, journalists
can generate attention and apply constructive pressure on government
officials and elected representatives to follow through on campaign
promises or other commitments made to the public. Further, media
can, and often does, serve as a fundamental vehicle through which
citizens can more effectively voice concerns or priorities, regardless how
pressing or critical an issue may be.
In an effort to bolster the ability of media to serve as a watchdog, IRI
has conducted programming in the region geared towards equipping
journalists with a greater understanding of the work of government and
how to effectively conduct oversight through reporting. In Colombia
and Bolivia, for example, IRI has conducted several workshops tailored
to enhancing the capacity of local journalists to play an appropriate
role in demanding improved democratic governance. In the city of
Valledupar, Colombia, IRI worked with a local NGO and radio station
to create a weekly radio program titled
Voces de la Transparencia
. A
renowned local broadcaster hosted the hourly program which helped
to generate an audience, especially as the program was in its early
days of broadcasting. The broadcaster and NGO worked in close
collaboration to convince government officials and civil servants from
